With several months to go until the onset of the nation’s upcoming general election, many Americans are putting forth speculation that the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak could in some form disrupt the voting process.
As publicized in a new report by Pew Research Center, 67 percent, or two-thirds of Americans, theorize that it is likely the pandemic may lead to a drastic interference with the voting process on November 3rd, 2020.
In their new survey, the nonpartisan think tank recruited 4,917 adult participants. According to the respondents, voting for the candidate of choice by mail was deemed as the most feasible option given the circumstances of the recent outbreak.
“Overall, 70% favor allowing any voter to vote by mail if they want to, including 44% who strongly support this policy. About half of the public (52%) favors conducting all elections by mail. The share supporting this proposal has increased 18 percentage points since 2018,” the Pew Research report states.
“While most Americans expect the coronavirus to affect the presidential election, majorities are at least somewhat confident that it will be conducted fairly and accurately (59%) and that all citizens who want to will be able to vote (63%),” the report adds.
Moreover, in their survey, the research team also found that Democratic-leaning respondents were less confident than their Republican counterparts of believing that all citizens expressing interest in voting will be able to in November.
Most respondents also shared their belief that — no matter who occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, DC in early-2021 — it is crucial for the losing candidate to publicly address the winner of the 2020 election as legitimate.
